Capella
by honey-locks-and-silver-streaks
Summary: "Malfoy… don't tell me she's y-" A sharp voice cut her off before she could continue. "No Granger, she is not mine." Malfoy shows up in her book store one morning searching for help in taking care of a little girl. However Hermione isn't experienced in child care either and being parents is hard, there's no rule book to help you out. But working as a team they might just survive.
1. What's Your Name?

Alright so this is the first chapter of my second story posted. I also have recently posted Before The Worst and I am planning on posting a few more first chapters so if you guys are interested you can go to the poll I have on my profile (Which is officially up!) and you can vote for which ones you would like me to continue.

Also I do not own Harry Potter or their characters but you probably know that.

So enjoy!

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She was working in her back room organizing the books ready to be put on the shelves when the chime of a bell rung through her little shop indicating someone had just walked in. No one should be here yet, she was sure the sign outside said closed. She didn't open for another hour. None the less she didn't mind. A customer was a customer.

"Coming!" She called as she quickly put down the book currently in her hand. She then turned and left her little back room to enter her actual shop. She looked around for the customer that walked in when she spotted a patch of blonde hair. Not just any blonde either, the same blonde hair that belonged to the man who made her life utter hell in Hogwarts.

"We're closed right now Malfoy." She sneered as the man stood on the welcome mat.

"Yet the door is open." He countered as he fiddled with a book on a near by shelf.

"Well not for you, what do you want Malfoy?" She asked as the man's eyes lifted from a book in his hand to meet hers.

"I have a proposition for you Granger." He smirked.

"Right Malfoy, what do you want?" She asked again crossing her arms. She looked the man across from her up and down. He hadn't changed much since they left Hogwarts three years ago. He still had that tall lean figure; same cloudy grey eyes, same smirk and stance, the only thing that had changed were his clothes. Instead of Hogwarts robes he now wore ordinary every day wizard robes and clothing.

"I need your… help." He said struggling to say the last word. Now what on earth was Draco Malfoy doing coming to _her_ for help?

"With what?" Her tone none too pleased. Did he think she would honestly help him? But he didn't answer her question. Instead he stepped aside revealing a little girl with blonde hair in pig-tails and eyes that weren't really one color. She looked no more than four with short bangs, dressed in a little blue dress and white fancy sandals. At the sight of the little girl she felt her jaw drop.

"Malfoy… don't tell me she's y-" She tried to say but was cut off sharply by the Slytherin standing across from her.

"No Granger, she is not _mine._" He snarled as if the thought of having kids repulsed him.

"But she looks so much like you" She exclaimed before walking over and kneeling down so she was almost at the level of the little girl standing in front of her. She could see the girl had many of the traits Malfoy had. But she didn't have the straight hair he had. She had slight curls to her hair. She was in a light blue sun dress that was meant to look childish, though it was obvious it was very expensive. Definitely something not meant for playing in.

"That's cause we're related Granger. She's something like my mum's second niece, though I don't know how." He said thinking to himself for a moment.

"So why is she with you?" She enquired looking up at Malfoy.

"Well that's why I need your… assistance. Mum dumped this little thing on me this morning before I left. Apparently she's my aunt Andromeda's granddaughter and was left in her care after her parents were killed in the war."

"She isn't a thing Malfoy." She scolded the blonde man towering over her though her voice was soft as she sympathised for the young girl. "So how does her being left in _your_ aunt's care relate to why your mum dropped her off with you this morning?"

"Mum said Aunt Andromeda needs a break after losing both her children and her children in law in the war. Mum has decided to take my aunt on some kind of sister vacation at one of our vacation homes but doesn't want to bring Aunt Andromeda's grandchildren along. So while potter's the godfather of Teddy and he's all looked after my Mum still needed to find someone to look after this one. Which is me." She wasn't sure if she had ever heard him speak so many words at one time. He didn't seem at all pleased about being responsible for the little girl for an unknown periold of time.

"She fed some 'it'll teach me responsibility to care for others rubbish' to my aunt to discard any concern and off they went this morning.

"That's a lovely tale Malfoy, but how does you little predicament involve me?" She asked.

"Because Granger! I can't look after a _child_!" He said as if it was extremely obvious. Did he expect her to willingly take care of the child _for_ him?

"Well too bad Malfoy. Learn to." A glaring dislike firmly upon her features.

"Granger I'll pay you. I'll pay you to look after her." He said. Though he was attempting to bargain with her his voice showed no sway in emotion or desperation. It remained calm and controlled. The last part of his sentence caught her attention, '_look after her'_; apparently he did think she would take care of the child for him.

"Firstly, Malfoy I'm not going to look after her because you flaunt your money around. Secondly Malfoy, if you're just going to pay someone to look after her then why did you come to me? And thirdly, even if I did help you, you would be paying me for _helping_ you look after her. I'm not doing it _for_ you." She'd only been in his presence for a matter of minutes and she could already feel her blood boiling.

"So you'll do it?" She could see by the amused expression on his pale features that he thought he'd already won.

"No." Any amusing expressions fell from his features with her words as she stood up crossing her arms in some attempt at intimidation.

"Why not?" Frustration began creeping into his tone. He should have known it wasn't that easy. She knew he wanted to know why she couldn't just give in and fall to his feet like the countless number of other women that would do it. You could tell he wasn't used to not getting things his way.

"Why don't you have someone else help you out? I'm sure many girls would want the chance to spend some time with you." A smirk worthy of a Slytherin plastered itself on her face when she saw him shiver with something that was clearly not delight.

"If it were that simple Granger do you think I'd be standing here in your little shop. I need someone who will actually help me and as you are the only girl on this planet that for some reason denies that you find me attractive it's your help I need." Somehow despite his words his tone didn't waver to sound as if he was begging at all.

"Malfoy I am not denying any attraction for you because there is _none_!" She said taking a step closer hoping to prove a point as she gave him a glare that could send just about anyone running to the nearest hill. Though Malfoy wasn't anyone as he wore his own glare that should have sent her cowering in fear. Standing this close to him she noticed he was still _much_ taller than her, at least half a foot as the top of her head would probably barely reach his chin.

"Granger, you have to help me since you won't be fawning over me at each waking moment. Any other girl would cling to me. And then I'd still have to look after _her_. Completely useless." He continued to speak with distaste towards the little girl beside him.

"I thought you liked that Malfoy; girls around every corner swooning for you." She mocked.

"No it's creepy Granger. It reminds me to much of Pansy and the younger Greengrass girl." He stated as another shiver as he thought of their time spent back at Hogwarts.

"All the more reason not to help you." She stated "I've got my own life Malfoy and my own problems. Surely you can handle a little girl on your own for a while."

"You will help me Granger." He spoke with a face that meant he was no longer anything less than serious.

"No I will not! You can't slide through life having everything done for you. It isn't that easy Malfoy. That's why your mum gave you this child, to teach you to do things yourself. You haven't changed at all have you?" She was furious. He came into _her _store and tried to tell _her_ what to do, to tell_ her_ she would help him after everything he'd done _to her_.

"Oh get over yourself Granger." He said. "You think you're so smart just because you were the brightest witch of our age and part of the golden trio. You think you can just read people right away don't you? Well for your information the war that happened _three _years ago did change me Granger. Otherwise I wouldn't be here _asking_ for _your_ help, offering you money that you could definitely use. In case you didn't notice Granger I really don't give a damn about the past. So grow up and move on." His voice rose with each word of the last sentence. She could almost swear she saw smoke coming out of his ears. But she wasn't pleased with the current situation either.

"Asking me? You're asking me?" She shrieked. "Well I'm sorry things aren't going your bloody way Malfoy, I'm sorry I didn't realise you were_ asking_ me. Last time I checked you told me I would help you. Well it isn't working Malfoy. So if you'll excuse me now, I have to go complete some paperwork or something." Completely fuming with rage she turned to leave and get back to work.

"You'll do it Granger. You'll _help_ me look after this child because you can't leave in good conscience knowing I am fully responsible for a _child _you know I care next to nothing about._" _He said in a flat voice. She would have continued walking, but the last sentence stopped her mid-step. He was right. Hook, line and sinker. He knew exactly how to manipulate her; though she guessed it wasn't hard to manipulate someone with a kind heart and an unforgiving conscience. If she left now, ignoring the well being of a child because of their history she wouldn't be able to sleep at night. And he knew it.

Technically he _had_ come for help with the benefit of the child somewhere in his mind which showed a little change on Malfoy's part as well. Either that or to get out of something he didn't want to do, but his actions would benefit the little girl. Still he had also told her what to do, _again. _arguing with herself wasn't accomplishing anything at this point. Her mind was already made up, and it probably had been since Malfoy told her he was responsible for a little girl.

She took a breath hoping what she was about to do would be a huge mistake and turned back around to face them. But she didn't look at him since she could just picture that same smirk on his face. Instead she walked slowly towards the little girl who had remained silent the whole time and knelt once more in front of her before she asked after a deep sigh "And what is your name sweet heart?"

The little girl moved slightly towards Malfoy clutching his pant leg as if for protection before she gave a shy smile. "Capella."

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So that's the first chapter of Capella. (I still dislike first chapters) The Poll is officially up so feel free to go over and see what other's I'm debating about continueing. If you did I'd be really greatful.

Thanks for reading, I'll try to update the next submission of first chapters tomorrow however I am going on vacation on tuesday till Sunday so we'll see.

So please review or visit the poll. Or both ;)

Thanks again

-Dini


	2. Hide and Go Seek

Thanks you so much to everyone that reveiwed and favorited/followed! I was really surprised about all the action this story got and I wasn't going to update a second chapter onto this story for a whie being as I'm going to do the update five first chapter stories, and then you guys vote kind of thing but since it was already written I wanted to put it up :)

I don't own Harry Potter

Thanks and Enjoy XD

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"Capella," Hermione said mostly to herself as she wondered where she'd heard that name before. "As in the star?" She asked the child. _Of course as in the star_ she silently thought. Capella was the closest star to the North Star and the sixth brightest in the sky. And she knew just how much Black family loved naming their children after stars. A bit of an obsession if someone asked her opinion of the matter.

"Yes as in the star Granger, what else could it be?" He sneered. If he had changed any bit since Hogwarts, he wasn't showing it. She smiled at the little girl in front of her before muttering a 'one second' and then standing up to meet the eyes of a man who was completely on her nerves.

"One more thing Malfoy," She said calmly. He nodded to indicate he was listening so she continued. "Wipe that _damn _smirk off your face." She said with a smirk of her own spread across her face as she lifted her hand up and slapped him hard across the face.

The moment her hand made contact his head whipped to the side, immediately leaving a red hand print. That felt really good. She should probably find a better outlet for her anger but it seemed slapping Malfoy was really effective. She laughed slightly before turning to leave once more; she figured she'd hear from him sooner or later regarding everything she'd just signed up for. Hopefully, if luck was on her side, it'd be closer to never.

Although the universe was really trying far too hard to mess her day up as it seemed she would be hearing from him much sooner than she'd hoped for. She had almost made it to the back room when she heard the bell signalling he was leaving. She let out a breath thinking she was off the hook only to find herself right back on it.

"Just for that Granger, you can watch her for the day." He said. She looked back at him to see he was indeed in the middle of the doorway but without Capella. And a bloody smirk plastered on his face_. Do you think that's how his face naturally looks_? She wondered. She hoped not, it was rather unsettling. Before she could retort he was out the door leaving a little girl behind who seemed to be more afraid of her than Malfoy. The world just wasn't balanced this morning.

It turns out keeping the little girl for the day wasn't as difficult as she'd originally thought it might be. When Hermione first asked Capella what she enjoyed to do she was hesitant to answer. In fact she received no response for the first few questions. But eventually progress was made and a blank stare turned into the shrugging of her shoulders. Hermione asked her if she liked stories which she said she did so that's what they did. It really was the only convenient thing to do in a book store.

Throughout the day she'd tried asking Capella different things about her life like what interested her and what her favourite color was but got little response. She tried asking easy questions that involved one or two word answers but it seemed all Capella wanted was to focus on the story at hand. She did manage to get one answer which was that Capella was pretty sure she was almost four.

When a customer came in she had to leave Capella alone to sit and fiddle by herself until the customer was satisfied. Her busy season wasn't for a few more months so traffic in her shop wasn't very busy. Which made keeping a child entertained pretty easy as once the bookstore had emptied itself again she began to read Capella a new story. Usually these stories came from the book her late headmaster had given her. _'The Tales Of Beedle The Bard'_.

"'Be still. Be silent!' Shrieked the wizard, but not all his magical powers could quieten the warty pot, which hopped at his heels all day, braying and groaning and clanging, no matter where he went or what he did.'" She read to the little girl now sitting in 'their' favourite corner. Capella had deemed it so, with very few words, once she found the yellow bean-bag chair and refused to move from the spot. Hermione didn't mind however, she liked sitting on the bean-bag chair with Capella resting in her lap.

The day had passed quite well without a single complaint from the young Malfoy, or Black she supposed since it was from Mrs. Malfoy's side. When they finished with their hopefully last story Hermione was ready to close up her shop. Lifting Capella from her lap so she could stand up she placed her back on the bean-bag chair and began putting away the small pile of children's story books they'd accumulated. It wasn't until her own stomach growled that she realized neither of them had eaten all day, and it was breaching on three O'clock.

"Capella, are you hungry by chance?" She asked the blonde child. But the girl shook her head no causing her blonde hair to bounce in front of her face. Really wishing Capella's answer was a yes she began scrunching her lips to the side as she tried to think of what the little girl wanted to do. There's no way she wasn't hungry, but if she didn't want to eat she couldn't force food into her mouth.

"Well, do you want to go for a walk?" She asked in the tone you hear parents using all the time as they talk to their children; voice slightly higher and more excited about the option presented to a young mind. But again the little girl shook her head no.

Hermione let out a sigh. "Do you want to go see your Uncle Malfoy?" She asked as a last resort. She could drop the little girl off with him and be gone in a matter of minutes. Not that she didn't like Capella, no she was rather pleasant for someone related to the Malfoy's. But a little time to herself would be nice. Especially considering she started work early today, with a job on the side. She could sit and read something she wanted to read. She could go visit Ron and the Weasley's. Or see what the Potters were up to. She hadn't seen Luna in a while now that she thought about it. Then there was that research she'd been meaning to do, although that would require Luna's expertise. She sighed, when did her life become so… busy? That wasn't the right word but she couldn't bother herself enough to find the word that fit just right.

She looked down at the little girl still sitting in her big cushiony chair, soft blonde curls mingling with the yellow fabric, only to see her looking up at her. It was easy to see she really was a gorgeous little girl. Sweet blond hair, adoring curls, sharp gentle features, and pale skin but instead of the silver Malfoy eyes, she had very light blue eyes with flecks of green and brown surrounding the iris's that under misleading light could resemble any colour from the colour of rain clouds to an insipid hazel or a pastel ocean green. She wore a large toothy grin that only complemented her innocent features even more, but also meant she wanted to go with option number three.

By the way she was smiling and nodding her head slightly you could tell this girl was rather fascinated about her Uncle –of sorts- and she could only wonder what the little girl saw in him. He didn't seem too fond of her in return. It wasn't as if he'd welcomed her with open arms when she'd first met him, or that he was a nice person once you warmed up to him. She couldn't even see Malfoy liking children let alone being liked back by them. Only the lord knows why she supposed.

She smiled down at the little girl and nodded her head agreeing then that's what they should do before grabbing her keys and Capella before locking up. Once outside she set the little girl back on her feet and walked with her down the street merely guiding her through the crowd as she held onto her hand. It wasn't a long walk to the Ministry and she didn't want to apparate with Capella as apparation wasn't recommended for young witches and wizards who may begin demonstrating magical abilities.

When she reached the ministry she found Malfoy's floor and the two were soon on their way up to the 'Department of Mysteries'. It seemed where the actual department was in the lower floors of the Ministry, the offices where the higher ups spent most of their time was at the opposite end of the building. Leave it to Malfoy to have one of the highest positions in this whole building, and be residing on the top floor. Being the quidditch fanatic he was you would think he would work somewhere like the 'Department of Magical Games and Sports', but apparently that was only a hobby. It would have been much more convenient though if he'd chosen to take that path, not as long of an elevator ride for her. She'd be sure to let him know of one more inconvenience he'd bestowed upon her.

When the doors opened and she saw his name on the office door further down the hall she felt the usual rush of irritation flow threw her that she always felt in his presence. She could only guess this impatience and irritation was fuelled by him being … well by being simply him. She didn't really need a reason but she had one anyway. No thanks or words of appreciation were said towards her for helping him out. He didn't even care that maybe she had stuff going on that she didn't have time to babysit a child. She didn't, but still. A little respect would have been a nice change, and he being a Malfoy was absolutely no excuse.

She saw a familiar Italian man giving her a quizzical look from across the room but quickly he smiled and waved in her direction. Not soon enough realising the foul mood she had suddenly created for herself.

"Zabini." She nodded in his direction as she pulled Capella across the floor whom previously seemed to be curiously looking around the office floor; her expression supporting wonder and astonishment. She'd show Capella around some of the more magical area's later.

"Granger." He said in a tone slightly less harsh than hers and much more welcoming. For being a Slytherin he really was rather nice one. He was one of the few Slytherins she'd ever approved of during her times at Hogwarts, even despite his alliance and loyalty to Malfoy whom tortured her endlessly throughout school. Then he caught sight of the little girl whom was currently grasping her hand and a face of surprise was shown clearly on his Italian features.

But before he could say anything she was already through the door that led to Malfoy's office. Said man looked up from the paper work he was completing, but if he was surprised to see her he did not show it. Expressions really never were his thing.

"Granger." He greeted her giving her even less attention than he'd given his paperwork.

"In case you care, Capella and I had a lovely afternoon." She stated as the little girl smiled shyly but nodded her head indicating it was the truth. "And now, she's all yours." She smiled before letting go of Capella's hand and saying good bye. Of course she leaving the room without him having the last word was next to impossible.

"What about feeding her?" She'd barely made it out the door before she heard his voice, a rather unnecessary amount of volume applied.

"It's your turn Malfoy; I said I would help you not be her personal nanny and caretaker." She spoke without turning around.

"Nonsense Granger, those two things mean the same thing, saying both is uselessly redundant." He said as if he had a leg up when it came to their intelligence. "And what do you suppose I do if… I don't know she starts crying?" He asked her, his voice steady and serious.

"If you can't handle her you can come and get me but only for an emergency." She said immediately regretting it as the words left her mouth. She could feel a smirk in the air and turned to face him once more. "I swear Malfoy, come to me for anything less than an emergency such as life or death and I will hex you until Zabini is no longer Italian or Crabbe and Goyle win an award for being geniuses." She said in the deadliest tone she hadn't used in a long time. "Each."

At first he scoffed at her threat trying to cover up that he was slightly frightened by her serious tone. But as she added onto her threat with the last word she saw his pale face visibly pale and hoped she'd gotten through to him just how serious she was. Satisfied that she'd made her point she turned on her heel to leave seeing the familiar Italian boy suddenly place his nose in a magazine pretending to find _Gardener's Weekly_ interesting.

"Bye Blaise." She smiled to him.

"Good bye Hermione." He said in a tone frighteningly similar to that of a cheery Hagrid. He didn't look up from the magazine but he spoke in a way that you could simply hear the smile in his voice. She wondered why he seemed so… calm and unfazed about her sudden mood change. Simply shrugging it off as she made her way to the elevator she only felt a twinge of guilt towards Capella for leaving her on such short notice in such an unfriendly manner. She'd make it up to the girl later, maybe bye her an ice cream or take her to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Now what was she to do? She decided she didn't really want to go and visit Ron because after a day filled with little accomplishments wasting her time listening to quidditch talk or being bothered to dress up for a date seemed highly unappealing. Visiting Harry and Ginny would involve the same end result. And for once she hardly felt like sitting and reading anymore, no she decided she wanted to work. She wanted to get some research done.

With the idea that helping Luna complete some research she promised to help with would be best she was off to the young girl's home. Within seconds thanks to apparation she was on the doorstep of Luna Lovegood's home. She knocked twice before a woman with blonde hair and gentle features opened the door.

"Hello Hermione." The girl beamed with a far off look in her eye. Friendly none the less.

"I hope this isn't a bad time Luna, but I was hoping maybe we could do a little research about what Heliopath Cold Fire can cure." She said sheepishly. She knew there was never a bad time with Luna, instead always a particularly convenient time as Luna put it.

Since they all left Hogwarts after repeating seventh year she had become quite close with the imaginative girl. It was strange really, Hermione Granger know-it-all bookworm and best friend of facts becoming best friends with Luna Lovegood, assumed-crazy-by-all-others.

"No, this is a wonderful time Hermione. I was just looking over the structure of the Heliopath Cold Fire and was hoping you would drop by." She smiled. Her smile really was quite infectious. She quickly ushered Hermione inside before making each of them a cup of Crumple-Horned Snorkack tea which really was far better than it sounded.

The two girls spent hours up in Luna's experiment room. She mentioned that Blaise was helping her work on the research a little bit during their lunch hour at the ministry which only made Hermione chuckle as she connected two and two together and was able to see why Blaise was unaffected by her crazy mood changes. If Blaise was spending lunch hours with Luna, then he must have been used to the confusion that seemed to surround the different world that was women.

Luna also talked about how her work was progressing. She was the head of the 'Department and the Regulations and Control of Magical Creatures' which meant she often came to Hermione for insight on rights to add for some of these undervalued creatures. Although that also included the rights of mythological magical creatures that no one believed were more than creative imagination. Hermione wouldn't lie, at one point she thought the same way they did, and maybe that part of her beliefs was still present on occasions.

But Luna had made it clear that muggles thought of Unicorns, Goblins, Pixies and practically every magical creature any wizard had ever known as imaginary because they chose not to see what they didn't want to see. Luna explained that these select few creatures that most witches and wizards did not acknowledge their existence were juts the Pixies and Goblins of the muggle world. Now the two of them spent a fair time researching these magical creatures. If they were able to prove the existence of one so called imaginary magical creature without actually presenting one to someone, they would. And that was their goal. But sometimes that's a little harder than imagined. Thestrals are just one of many examples of magical creatures that are undervalued and under recognized as they are completely real creatures that are only invisible until the observer has seen death. So many witches and wizards still believe they tend not to exist; though after the war many more are reporting sightings. Her strong friendship with Luna only proved to her that how you view something can change the result you find.

Hermione found there were many similarities between the two of them as they became closer friends. Both hungered for knowledge of all kinds, both were level-headed in difficult situations, most people found it difficult to relate to the two girls on social levels and intellectual levels. She really enjoyed the company of Luna much to other's confusion.

They worked well into the night only taking half an hour off to eat supper. They hadn't made much progress but every bit of progress they did make was cause for celebration on their behalf. It wasn't until nearly midnight that Hermione had even thought about heading home. And her train of thought was only broken because of a knock on the door. Luna went to answer it and a few moments came back to the study.

"Hermione," She said in her dreamy voice. Hermione looked up to acknowledge she had heard the soft spoken girl. "Draco Malfoy's waiting for you downstairs. He said not to hex him because it really is a 'life or death' emergency." She said smiling despite the words she just spoke.

Immediately Hermione paled. What had he done? And what was he thinking coming to Luna's house looking for her? How did he even find her?

"Luna, I can explain why he's here." She tried to reassure the girl but Luna just nodded her head and gave her that Loony Lovegood smile she was known for.

"I think it's nice you are becoming acquainted with him. He could use a few more friends to count on." Not at all concerned nor bothered about their situation Luna questioned no further. Hermione was shocked that Luna hadn't been a little mad at Hermione but she realized there really was no need for surprise there; this was Luna after all. And when she thought about it, not only was Luna accepting to everyone no matter what their past was, and in her mind set she also wouldn't have a reason to be upset. The war was done; the past was the past as long as Luna was concerned.

She gave her friend a smile and a hug goodbye as she knew she was not coming back for the night and then quickly made her way downstairs to find a very, shaken up looking Draco Malfoy. Although being Malfoy he really didn't look shaken up at all. Only the fact that his eyes never ceased movement, his slightly ruffled hair and his fidgeting fingers gave away his frantic disposition.

"What did you do?" She accused him.

"What makes you think I did anything?" He asked her, though they both knew how stupid that sounded. If he hadn't done anything, he wouldn't have been standing here. It was his pride that made him say stupid things sometimes though. It usually kept him from doing stupid things but being accused of doing something wrong made him have to defend himself, with stupid words. She could almost relate with him on that aspect as her oldest friends were two men who held their pride and dignity a lot closer to their heart than one would think. She thought she heard him mutter something under his breath along the lines of 'stupid thing to say' but couldn't be quite sure. Which is why she had to push further.

"Fine." She said. "I'll just go and help Luna finish-"

"I lost her!" He said rather quickly admitting his fault. It shocked her actually how quickly his slightly panicked façade had turned into a full on freak mode.

"What!?" She shrieked. "Malfoy how incompetent do you have to be to lose her? She's hardly four!"

"I left the office with her and we went home, I had Pipsy make her some super, even though I'm not supposed to have the house elves do the caring for her according to mother so don't you dare tell her I did and then I just wanted to be left alone." He said all in a one breath. It would have been rather amusing to watch his normally collected composure break down like this if it hadn't been for the reason why. "So I tried to get her to leave me alone but Merlin knows she wouldn't so I said we could play this muggle game I'd heard about, oh what's the name… Hide-and-Go-Seek!" He explained.

"Malfoy you didn't." She seethed. How bloody irresponsible do you have to be to lose a four year old?

"Oh but I did Granger," Was he trying to lighten the mood? She thought he was. But by the look on her face, it didn't work. So he continued. "So I told her to hide and that I'd find her and then we'd switch."

"But you didn't find her." She finished his sentence. "Merlin's beard Malfoy did you even try to _look_ for the girl before completely ignoring her?"

"No! That was the point of the game Granger. She was hiding which meant she wasn't bothering me. Why in Merlin's name would I go looking for her if I didn't want her around? Don't you listen?" His second attempt to lighten their situation was completely lost on her as well.

"Malfoy she's only three!" She screamed. She was not impressed.

"That's exactly why I only left her hiding for an hour and a half." His smirk told her he was impressed with his own responsibility, and that he didn't know to leave a three year old alone for fifteen minutes could be catastrophic.

"An hour and a half? An hour and a half!" She shrieked incredulously. Her shriek told him that she'd be sentenced to Azkaban for manslaughter by morning if he didn't hurry up. Taking a breath before she asked him a question none to pleasantly, "Malfoy, how long has she been hiding?"

"Well, I left her for an hour and a half." And he began doing the math; counting up the minute's he'd been completely injudicious and irresponsible. "And then I had Pipsy and Tulip look for her for…. two hours." He said.

"You had your house elves look for her?" She was past the point of furious.

"They wanted to Granger calm down! They seemed quite taken with the little girl shorter than them and they offered to find her." He explained like it all had good reason.

"That doesn't mean you let them!" She yelled. _Two hours._ How do you leave a three year old alone for three and a half hours without a shred of guilt or feeling an ounce of concern? Easy, you can only do that if you're a Malfoy, and an incompetent one at that.

"Where is she Malfoy?" She gritted through her teeth.

"Well that's a stupid question Granger; if I knew where she was would we be standing here having this argument?" He asked her with that smirk from this morning etching itself onto his features once more.

She didn't say anything. Words couldn't describe how irate she was. If she spoke she feared her shrieking would put Molly Weasley's howler to shame, or shake down Luna's home.

"So to answer your previous question… alone for an hour and a half, lost for two hours, and then I helped Pipsy and Tulip look for… another hour and fifteen minutes." He said. Four hours and forty five minutes that child had been sitting alone somewhere, and that was only after she had supper. Who knows how long she sat in that dreadful office.

"You see Granger it really isn't my fault because she's really good at that game." He explained holding his hands up in defense as she dragged him out of Luna's house so to not disturb her more than she probably had already.

"Damn it Malfoy!" She yelled whirling around once they'd stepped out onto Luna's porch and the door was closed. "Not your fault? You left her unsupervised for four hours and forty-five minutes on purpose! How is it not your fault?" She asked him but seeing the look on his face she had to add "don't you dare say she's really good at that game again."

Immediately his mouth shut, only to open again shortly after. "Technically Granger, only the first hour and a half I left her alone on purpose. The last three hours and fifteen minutes were by her own bloody choice." He said. She couldn't believe him. Why hadn't he come and gotten her the moment he couldn't find her? She'd probably have been furious but it would have been the ferociousness of a kitten compared to a lion.

Letting out a growl of frustration, she couldn't believe him. He never ceased to amaze her at how inhuman he could be.

Deciding they were getting nowhere arguing on Luna's porch she grabbed him by the arm none to gently and pulled him farther down her laneway so they could apparate outside of the wards to Malfoy Manor.

As they were leaving he heard her muttering something about a 'selfish, arrogant, cocky, pompous bastard' and wondered who she was talking about knowing all too well it was himself.

They had a long night ahead of them; that was for sure.

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So what did you think? How could Malfoy be so irresponsible ;)

Any ideas as to where Capella is? If someone guesses her location I will be immensly impressed! (I've already written that chapter to ;)

I'll post the first chapter to my new story She's the One hopefully today. If you're interested go take a look :)

Reviews are very motivating they make me want to update, and anyone who votes on the poll on my profile would definetly please me a lot! But maybe when more actual stories are up.

So far the stories I've published for this five first chapters are:

Before the Worst and Capella

But more soon I promise :)

-Dini


	3. Flying Pigs

**Hello mes amigos ;) I'm sure some of you are rather excited for this update as its been almost two months since the last. I apologize for that, deepest apologies. Anyway the ONLY reason I'm even updating this story is because I want all my First Chapter Instalments to be up at the same time so anyone interested can find them right away! And then you must Vote on my poll on my profile. If you do not vote I simply shall not continue with ANY of these fantabulous stories.**

**Incase you're wondering which storeis are part of my FIRST CHAPTER INSTALMENTS (I'm thinking about calling them Story Starters as I have more than one chatper in some of the...) Here is a list along with SUMMARIES**

**Capella- (Obviously) Draco Malfoy appears in her book store one morning with a little girl in tow that looks far to much like him for comfort. After Persuading Hermione to help him take care of the little girl now they must actually learn how to take care of her. Being a parent is hard, and their is no rule book. But working together they may be able to take care of the little one.**

**She's The One- "Like an otter!' 'A what?' 'You know, they mate for life." Draco finds out he's a Veela just before returning for his eigth year. Making a list of all possible mates from Hogwarts now all he has to do is cross off the girls wrong for him. But even with a best friend helping to narrow down the option pool being a Veela is hard and sometimes signals become mixed. "'Cross off Granger.' His best friend paused, questioning his actions. 'I said cross her off!'"**

**The Bucket List: Escaping London after Ron proposes Hermione finds herself in search of what she wants in life. Without actualy knowing what she wants in life. Alone at a bar one night, bring along Draco Malfoy and add rediculous amounts of alcohol and watch as silly conversations take form. "And what's that?" "It's a list of things you want to do before you die." "Let's do it."**

**I Just Want My Life Back: "You don't know anything about me." "As if you could name one thing about my life!" "I know being Gryffindor's Golden Girl Granger is bloody easy." Draco and Hermione come to learn the meaning of "Don't judge a person till you've walked a mile in their shoes" when someone meddles in their lives. Now they must start over, in their new lives as they walk in each other's shoes; together.**

**Before The Worst: The futures isn't what she'd always imagined. And they'd lost so many more than she'd ever expected. But Hermione isn't the kind of person to sit living a life she doesn't want to live. Now she's going back to change the out come before the worst of it all can take place. "**

**So those are the FIVE STORIES.**

**Anyway let's get on with this one and then you can head on over ;)**

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**CHAPTER 3**

When they reached the manor Hermione wasted no time running through the large mahogany doors. The Manor was huge. Dark colors and the lack of lighting made it hard to separate furniture from the walls. The Malfoy's must have immaculate depth perception. There were numerous floors, plenty of rooms, and not a sound other than the two of them could be heard in the manor. She looked around debating where to start, where would a three year old most likely hide?

"Malfoy, do you remember which way her footsteps faded?" She asked without sparing a glance his way.

"What do I look like Granger? How the hell would I know which way she went?" He stated impatiently. His Malfoy exterior had crept back in place since they'd left Luna's porch moments ago. His frantic behaviour minutes before was no longer in sight. The prestigious pretty boy was all that remained.

"Sorry Malfoy, I mistook you for a slighty _decent_ human being." She snarled. She could only think Malfoy's mother was an idiot. For someone who raised the boy, she obviously ignored his incompetent characteristics when deciding it was a good idea to leave a three year old in Malfoy's care.

They decided to split up to cover more ground. Which proved to be a useless decision when Hermione ended up double checking every room Malfoy was ordered to check anyway. If he couldn't find her in the many hours she spent lost, then she doubted he would be able to find her now. She already said he was incompetent did she not?

They checked behind dressers, under beds, in closets, behind doors, under sofa cushions, in between covers, behind curtains, in boxes, in showers, in kitchen cupboards, under tables, they tore the place apart. They checked the gardens, the attic, the dungeons, the broom shed, and Hermione even took five minutes to apparate to her book shop to check for her there. How she would have gotten there was beyond Hermione but panic was setting in along with the build-up of sleep deprivation and her decisions were no longer being rationalized. When she returned from her book shop having no success she found Malfoy checking extremely odd places like the backs of toilets, and under rugs. If it hadn't indeed been an emergency she would have laughed at the panic that began to settle on his features. The panic she figured mirrored her own.

It was three in the morning before Malfoy gave up and resided to the couch in the library.

"I'm so dead." He muttered as he threw his arms over his eyes trying to block out the firelight.

"Malfoy are you at all worried about Capella?" She asked. While he looked a little unravelled she herself was on the verge of a break down. There was a child somewhere, whether in this castle of a home or not, lost with no one to care for her. That was what happened when you had a conscience. You cared.

"Of course I am, what would my mother say about all this?" He asked though he didn't sound too fazed by it. She was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was just naturally a Malfoy trait to always remain stoic under any kind of pressure. But she was still going to assume Malfoy didn't have a conscience based on his response. As it indicated he didn't _actually_ care for the child's well being.

She slowly let her knees give out as she slid down the only wall in the library not covered in books. He didn't get it. He wasn't worried about her safety for the sake of her safety; he was only worried about her because of what could possibly happen to him. And she was so tired, far too tired to put up with him or to explain the difference.

"Remarkable." She stated lost in her own thoughts. Her tone was hushed and breathless, almost as if she spoke it while exhaling. The hard spines of many books digging into the back of her skull as she rested her head against the lower portion of the bookcases.

"What?" He asked, his voice sounded groggy as if sleep was pulling at him.

"Unbelievable." She said emphasising the first three syllables of the word very slowly and clearly.

"Granger," He said as he sat back up on the couch and turned to face her where she sat behind him. "I'm far too tired to engage in your mind games."

_One day,_ she thought lost in her own world once again. One day was all it took for them to lose a child. No. One day for Malfoy to lose a child. It wasn't them who lost her because that would imply she did something wrong, but she hadn't. Or maybe she had, she entrusted Malfoy with a child that he was so wrongfully given responsibility of. She should have checked on her, she should have dropped by at least. But if she was going to blame herself she could bring it right back around to Mrs. Malfoy for entrusting her son with a child. And taking it a step even further she was going to point fingers at Andromeda for allowing Mrs. Malfoy to convince her that giving Malfoy a child to look after was a smart idea in the _first _place.

She could also manipulate the situation the other way too. She could applaud herself for keeping Capella safe for this long when Malfoy was her guardian. She could applaud herself for even being a nice enough person to help Malfoy during times of distress. Especially when it involved taking time away from the sleep she so much needed but hardly ever got. But she really didn't feel like celebrating that small achievement at this moment. _Though_, she thought in her sleep muddled mind, _it is quite amazing how one can manipulate situations to fit their whims depending on how you decided to look at it. _That was a Slytherin thought. She shuddered at the possibility she had even a pinch of Slytherin in her.

"Granger!" Malfoy called bringing her back to reality.

"What?" She snapped, opeining her eyes to the dimly lit library in order to look at Malfoy. The man that reeked all havoc her life had ever known.

"What _are_ you talking about?" He asked pronouncing each word slowly and carefully. It was clear he had mistaken her quite mumbles meant for her ears only as an attempt to start a conversation between the two of them.

"_You_ only lasted one day with Capella, Malfoy. Only _one_ day." She stated, she was not going down with this ship. "You couldn't take care of her for a _day_." She muttered pathetic under her breath in hopes Malfoy would hear it. But it seemed he was occupied with other, more important things.

He must have been feeling just as tired as she was because she heard him chuckle from across the room. The man was delirious. He'd been officially driven insane. If she didn't watch out, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would be sprawled out on the floor giggling herself silly in a matter of moments as well. She took in a deep breath hoping fresh air would help her think but in reality it only made her even more aware of how tired she really was.

Malfoy's actions confused her. But she didn't care. That was, she didn't care until he began chuckling loud enough that it was impossible to ignore.

"What?" She asked looking over at the man shaking his head ever so slightly as if something about their situation was remotely funny.

But his chuckling never ceased.

"Malfoy, you lost a little girl in a day and you're _laughing?_" She said impatiently. He's gone insane. What would his ancestors say if they knew a Malfoy heir had gone insane? Picturing their faces she could almost laugh, but the curiosity of why Malfoy was laughing and all her built up irritation kept her from doing so.

"No Granger, I didn't lose her in a day." He said simply looking back at her.

"Then where is she?" Her voice suddenly hopeful. Maybe he found her. This was a cruel trick if he had found Capella and hadn't bothered to tell her.

But he ignored her question to finish his sentence. "It only took me 19 hours." He said with a small smirk.

Incredible. She wanted to yell at him. To go over and punch him like she did in third year. But she settled for a frustrated sigh. He wasn't worth the little energy she had left. He'd gotten her hopes up, and then ripped them down again. What else was new?

She wanted to close her eyes, to close them and just sleep where she was. Didn't she deserve a rest? She fought in a war. She lived her life at Hogwarts silently being disliked whether through jealousy of her brains, or hatred because she wasn't like them, wasn't born to parents like theirs. She lost some of her friends. She lost her parents in that war even though she gave them up for protection. They probably died not knowing they even had a daughter. She had to deal with Malfoy when she thought she was finally free. She deserved to close her eyes, but she didn't close her eyes because there was a child somewhere without parents as well with a legal guardian off on vacation and two irresponsible partial guardians that had lost her and was now counting on Hermione to find her. She didn't even care that she'd included herself as one of Capella's temporary guardians as her eyes.

She wanted to sleep. After moments of arguing between the pro's and con's of each situation her eyes caught something strange, and slightly out of place.

"What-" The soft word barely falling from her lips as she let her sentence hang in mid-air.

She slowly stood up and started making her way to one of the book shelves on the back wall while receiving quizzical looks from a sleepy blonde boy. She didn't know why she thought of it as strange, maybe because she'd seen it earlier that day. Or maybe because that little blue book was pulled out slightly farther than all the other books. And maybe it was because it was the only book a child could possibly be interested in while surrounded by such large, dense, dusty novels.

She bent down to the bottom shelf and pulled out said small blue book. 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' she read silently to herself.

It was only moments before she heard something shuffling around and looked up to find the bookcase to right of the one she was standing in front of had swung open slightly.

She didn't get to say anything before Malfoy had interrupted her.

"When the hell did that get there?" He asked flabbergasted as he stood up from his place on the small sofa.

"Don't ask me you're the one who lives here." She stated still stunned by what had just happened. "Is it… a passage?" She asked after moments of brief consideration. That's what it looked like to her. The book shelf had moved, much like you would see one move in an old movie. At a forty-five degree angle you could see what looked to be the start of a cave. The archway had cobwebs hanging from each corner, the stone was cracked and looked almost ready to crumble in on itself. This was definitely not the ideal place for a child. Obviously Capella didn't inherit the cowardly trait like Malfoy had.

"Doesn't look that deep, you want to give it a go?" He asked motioning towards the passage for her. But after being on the receiving end of her glare that clearly said 'oh-no-I'm-not-going-first-to-explore-this-unknown-cavern-that-you-didn't-even-know-existed-and-you-live-here' added to the hand on the hip stance that said 'besides-you-lost-her-you-can-check-it-out' he suddenly had a change of heart, "I'll be back." Was all he said and before she knew it he had slipped through the small opening.

She didn't have to wait long for him to emerge once more, only this time to her enjoyment he was holding at arm's length a sleeping little blonde girl. If she wasn't so astonished to see that little girl she would have laughed at how Malfoy looked as he held the girl by underneath her arms with an expression that said she was already far too close.

She quickly put the book back in place to see the door close once more. She wondered how the door could have closed with Capella inside, maybe there was a time limit, or maybe the book wasn't pulled out far enough and closed the door again. If she knew better how the secret door functioned she was sure she'd be able to figure it out, however right now it didn't matter.

Hermione took a few steps forward to take the sleeping girl from Malfoy before walking upstairs. She doubted Malfoy had taken into account where this child would sleep so she would have to sleep in whatever guest bed they had here.

"Malfoy, where can I put her to sleep?" She asked.

"There's an almost empty room first door on your left on the second floor, just conjure her up a bed or crib or whatever. That'll have to do for now." He stated before he too headed up the mahogany staircase.

She quickly found the room he was talking about and just as he had said she conjured the vase in the corner into a small white crib. As she was setting the sleeping girl down in the crib she briefly wondered if she should take her home with her to ensure her safety and well keeping. No, how much harm could be done to her while she slept. Besides taking her home to her apartment would mean explaining to Harry and Ron when they stopped by the next morning why she had with her a child that looked far too much like Malfoy. No, she could deal with that at a later point in time.

She did note that they, or she, would need to get a few items for this girl such as furniture, and toys or clothes if she didn't already have them. Simply conjuring all these necessities wasn't nearly stable enough to allow a child to sleep in. No matter how good her transfiguration work was, toddler equipment was delicate, and she'd rather buy a reliable bed than make one from an old antique that was bound to fall apart in a day or two. Besides, Malfoy had lots of money, he could afford it. But that was a job for another day.

It was three thirty in the morning by the time she had started making her way down the stair case to go home. But someone somewhere didn't want her to get to her bed in a few moments because a voice rang out that stopped her.

"Where are you going Granger?" Asked the man in his sleeping apparel which only consisted of green boxers. It didn't surprise her that he felt so comfortable so completely exposed. She'd come up with a witty comment about his clothing, or lack thereof but she really just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.

"Where does it look like Malfoy? I'm tired and I'm going home." She said as she turned back to face the door once more.

"By apparation?" He asked.

"No Malfoy, I thought I'd catch a flying pig. Yes by apparition." She said in an annoyed tone.

"You can't apparate when you're so tired Granger, otherwise you'll be sure to splinch yourself." He said. Did Draco Malfoy care what happened to her? No, he just didn't want to lose his one and only 'nanny'.

"Well Malfoy, I'm tired and I want to go home so it's a risk I'm willing to take." She said. She was all ready to leave when Malfoy called out again.

"Granger just sleep on the couch or something." He said noticing her visibly tense as she looked over to the foyer where a couch had been placed.

The couch was sitting in the foyer that only three years ago a muggleborn witch had been tortured for information she had no knowledge about. The same place where that same witch was given a scar as a reminder of how some people saw her; how some people enjoyed treating her. The same witch that was now being asked to sleep there.

Sleep was supposed to be a safe place, a place for dreams and thoughts, not a place for the nightmares that haunted one during the day and through their fears. Even though now a day's most witches and wizards who had fought in the war had nightmares, her nightmares were most likely definitely far worse; way beyond compare. And it seemed a good rule for a peaceful sleep was that you did not sleep where your nightmares were centered upon. Nope, that was most definitely not going to happen.

He let out a sigh, how could he ask her to sleep somewhere that had caused her so much pain? He wasn't completely heartless, not back then, and not now. He had his own fair share of nightmares as well and many included this very house. He walked down the stairs towards the witch studying an area on the tile floor. He was sure his lack of sleep also played a large role in his decision making tonight.

"My apologies Granger." He muttered as he grabbed her wrist and started leading her towards the stairs again. He was surprised when he didn't feel any resistance but instead only a simple question.

"Malfoy where are you taking me?" She asked still looking at the foyer.

"You can sleep in my bed." He said matter-of-factly. That caught her attention, effectively snapping her out of her drowsiness.

"You expect me to sleep with you?" She asked incredulously ripping her arm from his grasp.

"No Granger, in my bed. You can sleep there, I'll take the couch." He looked back at her to see she was opening her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "Don't even try to argue Granger, it's three thirty in the morning, I'm tired, you're tired, and it's a once in a life time offer." He said. She saw him shaking his head and muttering silently to himself about 'yeah right sleep with her', he may have thought he was being quite but she heard him. She also saw the shudder that went through his body. She prided herself on the idea that she repulsed him.

She wasn't really going to argue with him if he was going to be so persistent; she really was far too tired.

"Pipsy, can you find Granger here some clothes to sleep in, please." He said, only adding the please as a second thought. He then shoved her lightly through the already open door.

"What day is it today Granger?" He asked while holding onto the door knob.

"Friday." She answered sleepily.

"Good, you can help me go and get Capella a real crib when you're off work." He stated before closing the door and leaving to sleep somewhere like the couch she guessed.

She didn't have to wait long before a pop was heard and an elf she presumed was Pipsy appeared. Pipsy, unlike dobby when he was enslaved to the Malfoy's was wearing a nice, clean, green dress instead of a dirty pillow case. She immediately smiled at the sight that with Lucius out of the house and the influence of the Voldemort gone these elves were being treated with respect and kindness.

"Hello Miss, these are the clothes that Mr. Malfoy requested and approved for you." She said as she held out the folded fabrics.

"Thank you Pipsy." She said with a smile as she took the clothes.

"Pleasure to serve Miss. Good night Miss." The little elf said before bowing to the floor and popping out once again.

Hermione quickly dressed in her new clothes which were long black and silver pyjama pants and a green tank top. She then walked over to the bed which along with the rest of the room was styled in Slytherin covers. Talk about your house pride. She peeled back the dark green bedspread, along with the black sheets before climbing into the bed. She could tell his sheets were made of something expensive, like silk, but she knew it was far more exotic because it felt like air brushing against her skin. With the softness of his covers around her and exhaustion sweeping over her like waves on the shore, sleep came immaculately easy that night.

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**And there's the third chapter. I'd really love it if you guys would reveiw and tell me what you think. Tell me any and all ideas you have for this story. Vote on the poll for your favorite story. **

**AND HERE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING! For one of my classes (ASP: Anthropology, Sociology, Phsycology) I have to make a Survey with one of my friends. So we've done it to find out where we think personalities are derived from! And we need people to fill it out. It would mean the WORLD to me if you guys would do it :) I'd love it, love it love it love it. It's ten questions, all anonymus and it's either multiple choice or one/two word answers. It'll take like five minutes.**

**If you guys do that and I see lots of responses I'll try to update the results of the poll as soon as I can and get started with the winning story. SO PLEASE DO VOTE AND RESPOND TO MY SURVEY!**

**Here's the Link: s/HWF26Z9 And if that didn't work because FanFiction is being skeptical towards links it's the following (remove all spaces):**

** www. surveymonkey s/ HWF26Z9**

Okay remove spaces NOW or enters

w w w

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surveymonkey

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**Thank you so much for reading! And For Reviewers, Voters, and Responders in advance if any of you guys review, vote or complete the survey!**

**Thank you again for taking time out of your day to help me out, you guys are awesome**

**I hope you enjoyed it,**

**-DINI**

**P.S. (Trying to think of a new author name. If you have any ideas PM me or Review!) Thanks again!**


	4. Malfoy's Mistress?

Well Hello Hello Hello! Long time no see/Update. And for that I apologize greatly. I really do, life has just been so busy, and there are no excuses for this tardyness, but I apologize greatly. On another note, I also apologize for earlier chapters. I was reading them this morning to jog the old memory, and some of them, I just want to edit and edit and edit. But I have refrained from doing so, otherwise you wouldn't have this chapter. (Maybe I'll edit later on)

ANY WAY!

This here, this story, came out on top. You guys voted, you guys got it. :) I adore this story, along with all my other ones, but this is progressing the best, so I'm glad you all voted for it.

And before I start this chapter, I'd like to thank a reviewer, who honestly made my night when I first posted chapter 3, along with the chapters for all my other stories. He/She reviewed to each of those stories, and not just a supper short, 'Oh they were good' but a long, and detailed review for each. I loved reading them, reviews make me want to write and write and write. So thank you, **Kermit 304**, for putting a huge grin on my face. You are so awesome, thank you :)

Also, there was another reviewer whom I just loved reading their review, I'm glad you think Malfoy is an idiot. I was going for that helpless, totally not in his comfort zone kind of moment there. It will probably reoccurr over and over in this story. Because lets face it, parents arn't born, they're made. Which is why being an eldest can be slightly frightening, I mean, you are basically the testing experiment. But back to the review, I'm also so glad you think Hermione is 'just so... Hermione.' That made my day when I read that, because I really do want it to seem like these are the same characters, not just me as the author putting their names on things I would do. (Hate it when authors make characters into themselves, instead of investing themselves into there characters. I mean, sometimes it works, but honestly, you can't change the classics. If Hermione is an only child, you don't give her a little brother just cause you have one. So thank you, I appreciate this remark IMMENSLEY!) Thank you **Call-Me-Crazy. Cuz I Am. **

-Now, without further adieu, I hope you all don't kill me for the agonizing wait, but here is Chapter 4!

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Her sleep was remarkable. One of the best sleeps she'd had despite her late start getting there. She didn't ever want to get up. If the house was on fire, she was sure she wouldn't even care. The mattress was delectably comforting, the pillows extremely soft, and the sheets were pleasant and tender against her skin. The bed smelled faintly of spring rain, or fresh air maybe. It had an earthy smell, fresh and pleasant. In fact the whole vicinity smelled as fresh and crisp as the changing of seasons, like when you step outside and you just know spring is on its way. Whatever it was, the smell was intoxicating leaving her feeling light and wispy. So needless to say when a little voice was heard whispering in her ear she tried her best to ignore it.

"Miss, Miss." The little voice would say. "Mistress Granger, I've been asked to wake you up." The soft, scrachy female voice said. But she ignored it, trying to shut it out.

"Miss, miss," The voice came again. Was that voice real or a figment of her imagination? "Miss Granger, please do wake up." She said sweetly, the volume of her voice only slightly louder than before.

"Miss Granger, oh please Miss Granger, Pipsy asks of you to awaken. Master Malfoy has asked me to wake you up quickly." She said, the pitch of her voice was now very high in her given state of panic.

The voice soft squeaky voice in her ear would not leave her alone. It was obvious whoever was trying to awake her at this time was not getting the message. She wanted to _sleep. _ In her sleep muddled thoughts she caught bits and pieces of what the voice was saying, 'Mistress…. Awaken …. Malfoy…wake up….' Aftera few words ran circles all throughout her muddled mind she began stringing them together. 'Mistress Malfoy…. Awaken…. Wake up….' No that couldn't be right. Finally getting her words into an acceptable order, 'Mistress…. Awaken….. Malfoy….. Wake up…..' When the meaning of these words finally struck her tired mind, Hermione flinched in alarm.

Mistress? That didn't sound right. And why did the voice want Malfoy to wake up too? Where was she? Oh Merlin was he in her bed? Bolting up right she immediately regretted her rash decision. Falling back against the pillow was her almost immediate response in hopes to slow the blood rushing from her head. Pressing a hand to her face she tried to disperse the black dots clouding her vision, to no avail of course. When her dizzy spell finally took its leave she propped herself up just enough to see the contents of the room, then proceeded to open one eye in order to scan the room. The room was so bright, even with only one eye open she had to squint. The furniture was dark, but elegant. The room was spacious and appeared to be _very _costly. It reminded her of a hotel room, the under tone wall paint, the dark hardwood flooring, and the massive bathroom staring across from her. It was weird though, each element in the room had some sort of dark green as its accent colour. In the end, her conclusion was this; she was in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, dressed in unfamiliar clothes. Her conclusions, though correct, was unhelpful. Soon she was recalling last night's events, like an old movie on a theater projector, and the picture was once again complete. Now she began shaking her head for an entirely different reason. How did she get herself into such a mess?

It was quite a while before she noticed the small elf cowering on the ground near the bed. Apparently she'd given poor Pipsy quite a fright. It seemed the little elf had started very hesitantly to try and shake her awake, and when Hermione jumped due to her thought line Pipsy assumed she'd be punished. Her throat still sore from her night's sleep she could only croak her apology to the small elf. The humble house elf immediately stood to her feet only to bow as low as she could go while simultaneously spewing various requests for forgiveness. Her dress, a different one from the night before, was almost falling down over her head she was arched so low.

"I'm very sorry Miss; Pipsy should not have tried to awaken Miss in such a manor. Please forgive Pipsy," She squeaked. Then as if she was no longer speaking to Hermione she began muttering under her breath, "But Miss would not wake up, and Master instructed Pipsy to awaken Mistress Granger. No excuses, Pipsy knows better. Pipsy must be punished. Pipsy should know not to touch Master's Mistress." Before Hermione could do anything Pipsy fell to the floor and began hitting her head on the hardwood.

Throwing her covers off Hermione quickly rushed to Pipsy's side. "No, no, no, I'm sorry Pipsy. Please stop, it's just I was slightly startled." There was no change in Pipsy's actions. Resulting to physical force she grabbed Pipsy's hands and forced Pipsy to stop her previous actions. "I mean you no harm." She spoke slowly so the elf would understand her words. The small elf kneeled wide-eyed as she stared at the woman not only apologizing to her, but kneeling on her level.

"Thank you Pipsy, thank you for waking me up." She offered her kindest smile. Pipsy's manner reminded her so much of Dobby. If this was Malfoy's doing heads would roll. How dare he treat such a small, innocent little creature so pugnaciously? Her blood was boiling. Surely such close contact with the Malfoys was not good for her health.

"Mistress…" It seemed Pipsy was at a loss for words. Distracting Hermione from her previous thoughts she felt her cheeks flame as her boiling blood rushed to her face. It was such a ridiculous thought, yet still, there it was.

"Pipsy, I am not Malfoy's Mistress." She said quietly and gently hoping not to make the little elf think she was scolding her. She didn't know what Pipsy meant by that but whatever the case she didn't want her repeating it to Malfoy somehow. Her embarrassment would only add to his amusement.

"Pipsy is very sorry Miss, Pipsy did not mean to offend," She said lowering her head low so Hermione could see the back of her neck quite clearly. Dealing with such little creatures could be a very delicate task sometimes.

"No Pipsy it is quite alright. I am not offended." She smiled as she released Pipsy's arms, not realising till now that she was still holding them. Standing up she went and sat on the edge of the bed in hopes to remain partially at the little elf's eye level. She would have remained on the ground, but the floor was unimaginably cold and she was beginning to feel chills all over.

"Are you happy here Pipsy, do these people treat you well?" She knew that Pipsy may not tell her the truth, it was after all, common knowledge that speaking poorly of you master household was highly intolerable. Still, Hermione hoped that the little elf could trust her with such knowledge if she was indeed being abusively treated.

"Oh, yes. Very much! Master Malfoy and Misses Malfoy are very kind to Pipsy." Pipsy gave a toothless grin that just melted Hermione's heart. She seemed sincere, but she just had to double check.

"You're not being punished are you Pipsy? Malfoy's not laying his hands on you is he?" Hermione watched as she saw Pipsy's demeanour darken slightly. Was that a sign that the Malfoy's were still abusing their house elves?

"Not once has Masters laid hands on Pipsy." Her voice was very stern as she backed a step away from Hermione. "Master Draco and Misses Malfoy have always treated us kindly. Master Lucius is also kind now that the mean man has left our home." Pipsy's grin was short and sweet before she went back to her darkened tone she'd spoken with before. Hermione knew by 'mean man' that Pipsy was referring to Voldemort himself. She wasn't sure what to believe. Pipsy's words, or her behaviour. In the confusion of it all Hermione couldn't stop herself from speaking on behalf of the S.P.E.W part of her.

"Pipsy you can trust me. I can help you if you or any of the others want out." Her futile attempt went down in flames.

"Pipsy is _fine_ here Miss. All of us are happy here with Masters and Mistress Malfoy." The look Pipsy sent her way told her she better hold her tongue before she spoke again. It seemed she'd inherited that steely look from her masters running the house. Exhaling a sigh of defeat Hermione decided to move onto a new topic. She'd focus on this matter later when she could berate Malfoy one on one.

"Is Capella still asleep Pipsy?" She asked. It was the little girl's fault she was even in this snake den anyway. Capella probably was still asleep but if not she needed to be fed. And then there was the whole matter of what she'd do for the day. There was no doubt in her mind that just like the previous day she would end up caretaker for Capella during most of the day. She'd straighten out some sort of schedule with Malfoy later.

"Yes Miss. Pipsy asked Master about the little one but he said to await your instructions. Should Pipsy begin taking care of her?" The little elf asked. She nodded curtly to herself. It didn't surprise her that Malfoy would think of having the house elves look after her. But why he needed her permission was beyond her at this time in the day. She looked to see Pipsy standing in the doorway awaiting a verbal response.

"No that's quite alright Pipsy, I'll get Capella up and running." Satisfied with her answer Pipsy nodded and the pop that echoed through the large bedroom signalled her little elf friend had taken leave. Still in her borrowed night attire, she found herself navigating through the maze that was Malfoy Manor.

It shouldn't have taken long to find Capella's room, but her memory from last night was fuzzy due to her excessive tiredness and it made locating the random room she'd put Capella to bed in quite a difficult task. After ten minutes of wandering she was debating between calling Pipsy back to point her in the right direction, or actually seeking out Malfoy if this went on for too much longer. Luckily for her pride she didn't have to resort to either of those options.

"Take the next left girl." A voice to her right sounded. Whipping around, wand in hand, Hermione began searching for the voice that called to her.

"Oi, put down the wand lass, no one's gonna cause ya any harm." A similar voice spoke to her left. She didn't understand, the only one in this hallway was herself, and all these sleeping portraits.

"Over here girl." She was getting tired of this game. Annoyed with how this morning had started, she simply raised her wand and illuminated the entire hallway. Not that it was dark before, but everything was easily visible now.

Immediately tens of voices began mumbling at their sudden awakening. A few actually began spewing strands of profanities at the 'bloody wanker that turned on the sun'.

"Well now you've done it lass. Awoken the whole castle now." Spoke the second voice.

"Yes, job well done girl. We were counting on another three hours of peace before these snores woke up." Spoke the first.

"Alright enough! Where are you?" She watched as all the sleepy portraits pointed to, as far as she could tell, an empty frame. Stepping closer she watched as two figures gradually appeared. Inside the blank frame were two men, early thirties at the latest. Their hair was as white as snow, much like many of the Malfoy ancestors, but their hair was pure, it had not greyed into its colour. Their faces were thin, they're jaws structurally sound. Their height was the same, their weight the same, the even smiled the same. Where one smile curved to the right, the man on the lefts smile curved to the left. She wondered if she was seeing double they were so identical. That is aside from their attire, one wore British wizarding robes, while the other was dressed in old Scottish wizard robes.

"Done staring then girl?" Spoke the one on the right.

"Please stop calling me girl." Hermione glared as the man's smile turned into a smirk. That name made her feel quite inferrior to the portrait.

"Fine with me lass." These two reminded Hermione of Fred and George. They were really not helping her pending migraine.

"Don't call me lass either." Her glare switched from one to the other, not sure what to make of them.

"The names Castor. This here's my younger twin brother, Pollux." Said the man who first spoke to her.

"I'm only a wee bit younger than ya, why must ye always be pointin' that out?" Spoke Pollux.

"Like, from Greek Mythology?" Hermione asked baffled.

"Well Yes," Spoke Castor.

"And No." Finished Pollux.

"You see we were named after them, but we aren't the great Castor and Pollux. However, we are quite, unimaginably great." Pollux nodded in agreement with his brother. However fascinating these two seemed, Hermione just didn't have time for them this morning.

"How do you know where I'm going?" She asked.

"We're the eyes and the ears of this castle dearie. We know _everything_." Spoke Pollux, his previous Scottish accent diminishing greatly. She furrowed her brows in thought almost simultaneously as Pollux winked her way. Now she was immensely puzzled.

"Don't mind him, we saw you stumble in with our youngest heir and a small child. We figure you're looking for the child since you glare almost as venomously at us as you do him." Castor smirked.

"Why does he speak with an accent and you don't?" She wondered if maybe they were separated at birth or something, but she didn't think the Malfoys would just drop off one of their _precious_ children with strangers. Although, Mrs. Malfoy did just abandon Capella in the arms of her son.

"As the eldest brother, I was to stay here and maintain Malfoy Castle. Marry some top notch British pureblood heiress and keep the line running. Pollux here however was given the task to _expand_ our bloodlines. So he was shipped off to marry some royal Scottish _lass_." Said Castor, as if he disapproved of the lady he spoke of.

"Its all about the power dearie. Back in those days it was either power, or money. And the only way you obtained either of those, was through allies. Strength in numbers dearie." Pollux offered his crooked grin and another wink before Hermione decided she could sit and discuss their backgrounds another day. She was famished, and she was sure Capella would be awake any moment. Hopefully she was past the age of crying to communicate. Otherwise her morning was about to get worse.

"A left you said?" She said, interrupting the reminiscence between the brothers.

"Impatient one aren't you. Well fine then. Your next left, straight for two more, and a right, last door with a slightly chipped crystal knob." For a man in a portrait, Castor sure knew his way around the manor.

Thanking them for their help she quickly sped off in the direction they instructed. Of course not before they 'bid her adieu' with their chorus of 'lasses' and 'girls'. Left, straight, straight, right, last door. Repeating the pattern in her head, eventually she found herself where she needed to be. Running down the hallway she checked the last door on the left to find the crystal knob intact. Moving to the door across the hall, without bothering to check, she pushed open the door and entered the room. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw the sleeping girl in her transfigured crib.

Walking over to Capella she saw the girl stretch before brushing the sleep from her eyes. Hermione never grew up around many children, being an only child and all, so taking care of a child was not in her area of expertise. But upon seeing this little girl offer her a small smile she knew she'd just have to learn. After all, how hard could it really be to look after a child?

* * *

**How wrong Hermione is. Not that I'd know, I mean, I am no parent, not even close. But I know it can be exhausting so... we'll see how quickly she learns.**

**As you guys can tell, this was basically a filler chapter… And after such a long wait, I know it's a huge disappointment to all of you. But I'm really in the writing mood today so I'm going to try and get another chapter done, a much more fun chapter, with Draco and everything! So I'll maybe have that one up before the 7th. i.e. my first day back at school (Not excited…) (Used to love school. Now I don't know why that was ever the case...)**

**But thank you to all for reading this. It was fun, very different from how I originally intended this chapter to go. Please review because your reviews make me WANT TO WRITE! If you have something you'd like to happen in this story, maybe Draco falls in a fountain or something, any weird Idea, let me know, i'll see what I can do to include it. So review Please, I love them so much!**

**And I apologize so much for this delay. I really want to start updating more! But and I think now that this story is finally taking off it will be much easier to get motivated to do it. (I'll be putting a 2,000 word aprox on how much I can write to keep these chapters coming) And guys, feel free to PM me and be like um, Dini, you are just taking far too long girl, get it together.**

**Do that ^ It'll keep me in track. But honestly, talk with me guys, to know I'm connected with you readers really strikes my motivation and makes me want to impress you guys :)**

**-Thanks to all who read and reviewed,**

**Dini 3**


	5. A Certain Gleam

**Hello Hello Hello! Long time no see! How are you all?!**

**In case you haven't noticed, I changed my username. Once upon a time I was known as Animeloverly31, but now I am honey-locks-and-silver-streaks. And after a bunch of conflicting emotions towards one name or another, I think I've finally landed on one I'm super happy. So yay! :)**

**And I'm really sorry for this late update, but I hope a long chapter will suffice. Especially since I'm revising and updating instead of studying for my tests tomorrow like I'm supposed to be doing!**

**Anyway, did you guys know that J.K. doesn't like it when people like Draco Malfoy? Cause that's what I've been hearing recently, and I guess it makes sense. I mean that's a villain she created and usually you aren't supposed to like villians right? They're the bad guys. But let's face it, she made him far too irresistible to not like. I mean really, at least, that's my opinion ;) Annnnd! It's also his birthday tomorrow! (June 5th!) sooo more reason to celebrate ;)**

**Thanks to all of you that read, and reviewed, I love hearing from you guys, you're the best! **

**Now without further ado, ENJOY!**

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_Granger,_

_As you can see, some of us have better things to do than sleep the day away, which explains my absence. Pipsy made breakfast. As you sure took your sweet time getting up, you'll have to either heat yours up, or eat it cold. I don't care which. I'm in a meeting all morning, keep Capella with you. I'll come get her when I'm finished, and we'll go to Diagon alley to find what we need for her. Make a list, you're good at that. Then we'll just grab what she needs and go. The less time I have to spend in your presence the better. I'll drop by your excuse for a shop when I'm finished. Expect me by two. _

_-D.M._

"He even writes unpleasantly." Hermione huffed, throwing the recently crumpled letter to the side. "So I guess it's just you and me then. What do you want to eat?" She asked looking at the little girl resting on her hip. With the shrug of her tiny shoulders it was clear Hermione was going in at this alone. What could a small child even eat? She was sure Capella was way past the age for baby food. And she had teeth. Small teeth that is. So normal food cut into really small pieces should be fine? Hermione didn't see a problem with that idea. Which meant it was undeniably safe. Right?

The only question was where would she find the food? Malfoy's kitchen wasn't exactly the kitchen she was used to. Sure, on the outside it looked everything muggle. Well, it appeared more suitable for a rich muggle than anything else. It had lavish mahogany cupboards, and granite countertops, with sterling steel utensils. The tile was indubitably marble, but it wasn't just these flashy instillations that made the room scream rich. It was the little, elaborate designs that touched each surface so delicately so not to make anything look over done, resulting in a very elegant feel. Nothing in this room looked used or even touched. Everything, from the various appliances, and the gaudy chandelier, to the extravagant arch way connecting kitchen and dining room, and the dining table that could sit twenty guests comfortably, all appeared to be for show only. But although this kitchen looked normal enough, she doubted there was any food in the cupboards. What was the chance the Malfoys could cook? No, she'd bet her book store that this kitchen was just for show.

That wasn't her only problem though. She hadn't a clue of the time, and she needed to be at the shop around nine to open it up for the day. Which she assumed she was already late for. Deciding food was more imperative to starting the day she decided she'd tackle that task first. Deciding to rummage through the cupboards in search for food, she set Capella on the counter with a stern look to stay still, and then started on her hunt. In the end, this hunt was unsuccessful. There was absolutely no edible contents in the cupboards, and the drawers were almost completely empty. All she'd managed to scavenge was half a container of France imported peanuts, a few bottles of Jamaican water, and pasta sauce from Italy. Didn't the Malfoy's have any food from say, the super market? Just as she'd assumed, the Malfoy's were not systematic chefs. She'd have to add that to her ever increasing list of things to change while she was an influence in Malfoy's life. She'd put 'make the kitchen an actual kitchen' right under, 'free all imprisoned house elves', but above 'fix Malfoy's attitude'. As she saw it, they were in order of most doable, to least doable, as well as most pressing to 'pass this problem onto someone else'.

A clatter to her left made her suddenly aware of the fact that Capella was partially unsupervised. And aware that perhaps Capella wasn't the greatest of listeners for a three year old. Turning to face the young girl she saw a large wooden holder on the ground split perfectly in two. What caught her eye though were the dozen knives scattered all over the floor. How had she not noticed those when she'd set the girl down? Hermione was used to being overcautious when it came to surveying the layout of an area ever since she'd befriended Harry and Ron, but apparently she was going to need to start looking for more seemingly less dangerous threats. Like knives, instead of snatchers. She'd have to adjust her mindset to be aware of anything that could be of potential danger to a toddler, instead of what might be harmful in the hands of perfectly capable men with the attention span of a toddler.

"Oopsies." The little girl giggled as she looked at the mess she'd made. She watched as Capella made a move to pick up at one of the large, dangerous cooking utensils that somehow managed to remain on the counter. Right then and there Hermione decided this girl would need eyes on her at all times when she wasn't asleep. Note to self: Nothing is ever _too _safe.

Muttering nonsense under her breath Hermione flicked her wand, immediately repairing the knife stand before putting all the knives back in their proper place. Being extra careful to place covers over anything sharp within Capella's reach. Still needing something to occupy the small child while Hermione looked for food she quickly conjured up a teddy bear she hoped would suffice for the mean time. It was silly for her to think a young child such as Capella would be able to just sit and do nothing just because she was asked to. But she'd hoped that being part of the Black family she would have inherited some sort of poise that would make her sit still when she was asked to. Hermione figured that wasn't _exactly_ how that sort of thing worked.

The teddy bear didn't suffice. Capella barley even glanced at it as she removed it from her lap and placed it to the side. Hermione was actually surprised by the lack of attention she paid the tiny bear. Instead she began wiggling herself about on the counter so that she was facing the wall, before she tried to lower herself to the ground.

"Oh no you don't." Hermione spoke under her breath as she saw the toddler try to get from the counter to the ground. It was at least two feet, and though that wasn't a lot to her, she really didn't want to deal with a crying child for the rest of the day. Rushing to the other half of the kitchen she scooped up the girl and decided to just call Pipsy and ask for a plate of food.

Unsure how to summon a house elf Hermione closed her eyes as if anticipating an impact before snapping her fingers and calling Pipsy's name. She really, really disliked summoning house elves; it made her feel like she was just as bad as the people who used them for slavery.

"Miss?" The squeak of the little elf sounded her arrival. Opening her eyes Hermione smiled at Pipsy even though she wore an expression of uncertainty.

"Could you bring me a tray of food Pipsy? Just anything you can find that Capella might be able to munch on?" She politely asked the house elf.

"Pipsy would be honoured Miss. Would Miss also like her food?" During the hunt for something edible in the Malfoy house she'd completely forgotten that she hadn't eaten yet either. Just then, as if right on cue, her stomach growled as if to voice its own opinion. After a quick thank you Pipsy disappeared with a pop, off to fetch appropriate food for the girls.

If Hermione thought that finding food for her and Capella was difficult, she was in for a real treat when it was time to clean up after the unusually messy child. Perhaps if Capella would have just sat still for two seconds Hermione's cleaning spell would have hit the target it was meant for, instead of everything else in the kitchen. On the bright side, Pipsy now had a certain gleam that you just didn't get by hand washing.

"I'm telling you that is not what Janine told me." The jingle of the bell above her store door mingled with the chime of a voice sounding from the back of her store.

"Well that's what Lucinda said Marcy told her and Marcy was right there when Edith lost it at Sunday tea." Making her way through isles and piles of books Hermione made an attempt to locate the owners of the elderly voices.

"But Janine was right next to Edith and Lucinda had to hear second hand from Marcy, who's not the most truthful woman we've met." Guided by the familiar bickering it wasn't long before she and Capella had stumbled upon the intruders.

"Ladies," She smiled at the three elderly ladies that stood near her office. Only Viola was actually rummaging through some of the books near the till, while her other two companions continued their previous discussion.

"Hermione," Viola smiled to her, an echo of 'Mione' shortly followed from the other woman.

Ever since Hermione had opened her book store, Elma, Estelle and Viola had been regular customers. They showed up at least once or twice a week, if not more. They'd told her once that since they found her book store quaint, and picturesque it provided a fabulous hot spot for them to get together and do what women their age did. Which was basically talk about what other women their age did.

"Who's the little one Hermione?" Hermione hadn't even had a chance to introduce Capella before Viola so kindly brought the child to Estelle and Elma's attention. She watched as the other two ladies' heads snapped in her direction, and took the sight of Capella in. Their previous gossip long forgotten.

"She's darling." Estelle cooed, as she moved towards Capella for closer examination. "Who does she belong to?"

"I'm helping out an old classmate. She's his second cousin or something." She explained. "I'm just lending a hand until her Grandmother comes home again."

"Well she's too cute. What's your name sweet heart?" Elma asked, taking a similar stance as Estelle as if to memorize every one of Capella's features.

"Capella" She smiled, swaying from side to side.

"That's quite the peculiar name you have there." Viola noted.

"You know who else has atypical names?" Elma asked, as if they had just launched onto some new juicy topic that promised scandal.

"The Woodrifts. What sort of name is Maral?" Viola said, as if she'd just read Elma's mind.

"Exactly!" Elma exclaimed. Soon the three of them were engaged in another conversation, Capella mostly forgotten.

Hermione shook her head as she began to set up for the day. The Christmas season was fast approaching with Christmas just over two months away, and though it may surprise others, Hermione's book shop was _very _busy at that time of year. Her only other hectic season was the week after all the young wizards and witches got their letters from Hogwarts and sought out the required books for the new school year. She really needed to start prepping for it as soon as she possibly could. And she figured that if she made it a habit to bring Capella to work with her, and entertain her throughout the morning she was going to need to start her preparation in the evenings.

Capella seemed much more at ease today than she did the previous day. She'd managed to venture off on her own, instead of clinging to Hermione's side like she'd done the other day. She still had quite a few hours before she was to expect Malfoy on her doorstep. Keeping Capella occupied for that length of time was going to be difficult. Especially since it seemed the majority of her wariness had faded.

"Did you want to start where we left off yesterday?" She asked the tiny blonde child once she'd located her.

"Nope." She smiled, almost mischievously as one side of her mouth tilted upwards more than the other.

"You're sure?" What else did you do in a book store? The only thing Hermione had to entertain Capella with was books.

"Mhmm." She nodded her head before running off in a random direction.

"I think you're losing her darling." Elma called from the back. Not once looking up from her manicure she was currently examining. _No kidding,_ Hermione thought.

"What do you suggest?" She inquired as Elma's figure came back into view. Of course it was a sarcastic question, however she wouldn't outright refuse their suggestions if they had any to offer.

Before any of the ladies could respond, Capella came running back with a –rather large- open book in her hands. Under close examination Hermione recognized it as a muggle's fairy-tale book. And on the open page was a picture of a young maiden in a long-standing book store that was remarkably similar to Hermione's.

"Beauty and the beast." Estelle spoke over her shoulder.

"A tale as old as time." Viola added, peering over Hermione's other shoulder.

"You!" Capella exclaimed, pointing from Belle to Hermione.

"Not quite." She smiled. Even so, she could see the similarities between herself and the animated figure. From the wavy brown hair, to their equal love for books. And how they could reread a book no matter how many phrases they'd already memorized because of the way the words jump off the page for you when you give them your undivided detention. How the rest of their peers found her crazy for constantly having their noses stuck in a book. Perhaps that's why she'd always sort of admired Belle, as opposed to some of the other well-known princesses from the muggle world.

"Yes!" Capella squealed before running off to sit where they had sat yesterday. She watched as the young girl began flipping pages back and forth till she landed on one she was content with. The first page of Belle's story. For a moment Hermione wondered if Capella had ever been introduced to anything like the princesses in muggle books. But as a child descending from such a prestigious pureblood family, whether she was a Malfoy or a Black, she figured that there was a greater possibility that Ron could eat his food in a mannerly fashion than there was of Capella knowing the slightest thing about anything muggle.

"I think she wants to read that book dearie." Viola suggested, pointing to the eager expression plastered on Capella's face. So that's what they did. Hermione ventured over to Capella's side before making herself comfortable enough to read the opening narrations._ "__Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind."_ She enunciated each word, as only a meticulous story teller bothers do.

At least, they read for a while. It was remarkable how quickly young children lost interest in something. Yesterday she'd been able to keep Capella's attention on reading for at least another hour yesterday. Though Hermione had to admit, after reading _Beauty and the Beast _for what would have been the fourth time today, she too was becoming slightly uninterested in Belle's tale; even if the message written between the lines was one of great importance. If only there had been another fairy-tale in the large muggle book that peaked Capella's curiosity. Sadly, it seemed that one new story was enough excitement for Capella as she began to nod off in Hermione's lap. Perhaps Capella would remain asleep long enough for Hermione to get some actual work.

Picking the small girl up she gently placed her in the bean bag seat where she hoped Capella would find it comfy enough to remain asleep.

"Hermione dear," Estelle spoke when she saw Hermione had made it back to where they stood. "We actually brought a few things with us today, and wondered if you would entertain us for a moment now that you aren't as busy."

Entertain them? What could she possibly have to offer besides her book shop and the books within it that could be of interest to these ladies? Even if she could pose as some sort of entertainment for them she had her own work to catch up on. Or continue getting ahead of. As really, she was caught up on all her necessary work for the next three weeks. Regardless, she agreed to whatever it was that they needed her for.

The moment she'd agreed to entertain them, she wished she hadn't. "What is that?" She asked.

"This, is a bag of clothing." Elma said as she passed the large, purple bag to her. "And we'd like you to try on its contents."

"Why?" She peered inside the bag. It seemed the only thing it held was dresses. At least six if not ten. It was hard to tell exactly how many there were, with each dress being similar to the previous.

"These are just some old things we had sitting around, and we were hoping you would let us relive our glory days through you." Estelle smiled, as she adjusted the large blue sun hat that sat on her perfectly styled grey hair.

"Glory days?" Hermione inquired. She didn't know much about these woman. Despite their slight presence in her life for the past year. She knew Elma and Viola were widowed. Their husbands passing away a few years ago. She knew that the three of them had been inseparable since they were very young. And despite their similar appearances, each of them was different from the first. Individual in a group of full of resemblances.

Elma sported what Hermione figured was once blonde hair now turned grey with age. Her face was full of wrinkles, though she'd put many charms in place to conceal the evidence of her aging. Her brown eyes twinkled with a light Hermione hoped she'd never lose. It was a spark of mischief, a look of determination that life would never get the best of her. She was the back bone amongst the group. She held them together during their most difficult of times, and their toughest disagreements.

Viola's hair unlike Elma's was still relatively dark, though her greys had definitely made themselves known. Her blue eyes were sharp, and fierce. She had a fierceness about her that was very similar to that of Elma's. She never took to being bested, and was always far more stubborn than the other two. On numerous occasions Viola had compared her own pig-headedness to that of Hermione's when she was younger. More often than not giving her advice to know when to stand your ground, and when to let the tide sweep you away with the rest of the waves. With Viola there was always a need to separate herself from the other two in some sort of way. She claimed her individuality kept her sane, and kept their lives interesting. After all, how boring would life be if your closest companions agreed with you all of the time?

And Estelle made up for everything that was left in the group. Her grey hair had auburn streaks all throughout, a sign that her auburn hair had not fully faded from years and years under the sun. As far as Hermione knew, Estelle was the most intelligent of the three. The largest reader of the three, despite Viola being the only one of the three looking throughout her bookshelves when she'd entered the shop this morning. She also knew Estelle was kind hearted, her green eyes shining with laughter as they portrayed the soft spot she had for families alike her own. And she was far more optimistic than the other two, always holding onto that last strand of hope when everyone else had already cut their own ropes in order to move on to life's next great adventure. She remembered one of Estelle's most famous lines from the very first morning she'd entered Hermione's shop, '_Sometimes one of the greatest gifts life will ever give you is the ability to hold onto hope when it seems the consequences of hanging on might outweigh the rewards of holding on. To know when to wait just a little longer, before hope has presented you with the answer to your unspoken questions.' _It had come up in conversation while she was gloating to Elma and Viola that she was right to keep looking for that special spot they could call their own, when the other two wanted nothing more than to rest their tired feet and give up their search.

But aside from the small characteristics she'd picked up here and there, and the personal information they'd dropped during a few of their conversations, that was all Hermione could recall on the trio. Ask her about any of the other girls in their Sunday tea circle and Hermione was sure she could write a four foot essay on simply the way they _spoke._

"Yes, we'll reminisce while you're changing. Then fill you in later." Estelle assured her as she pushed Hermione into her office where she could change. A quick glance over her shoulder and Hermione was satisfied that at least Capella was still asleep, and would be well attended to while she was preoccupied. She wasn't even gone a moment before she heard the old ladies fussing over Malfoy's inconvenience. Even if the only thing they could fuss over at that particular moment was the way the young girl slept. Hermione swore if they woke her up there would be some hell to pay. Because by the looks of it, Capella could easily be down for the rest of the afternoon, and what a blissful afternoon that would be. She'd have the whole afternoon to herself, only having to worry every so often if the sleeping mass of blond locks was still indeed asleep.

The moment she put on the dress she felt as if she had been sent back in time. She felt like she'd just stepped out of a tabloid from the 1930's. Her dress was frilly. The shoulders were bunched with extra fabric, accompanied with a collar, and an outrageously high neckline. The dress gathered at her waist, only to loosely fall to her mid-calf. The pattern of her blue dress was easily mistakable for old wall paper you found in one of those century old homes. Still, Estelle and the rest of them awaited her grand appearance in the first of what looked like _many_ out dated dresses.

Stepping out of the back room she watched as the elderly ladies' eyes lit up in delight. Squealing compliments and rushing to her side to inspect her attire. Much like they had when Capella had stepped forward from her previously hidden location.

"So, tell us your thoughts dearie." Viola said, stepping back to gain a different point of view.

"This really isn't my style." She tried to keep it light, instead of divulging into everything she disliked about her new wardrobe.

"Oh we know. We've seen your style sweetheart, and style is not the right word for it." Hermione couldn't deny that she was slightly offended by Elma's remark, considering she was wearing a striped sun hat, with a checked blazer. Not exactly the most flattering choice of clothing she'd seen in her days.

"I resent that! My clothing is not all bad." She huffed.

"Have you thrown out that ratty blue sweater yet? The one with the broken neon zipper?" Elma countered.

"No, why would I-" There was absolutely nothing wrong with her sweater.

"How about the frumpy beige over coat you have that's three sizes too large and is far from flattering? The one you often use as a protective coat during the rainy seasons?" Viola cut her off.

"That keeps me dry just fine-" It useful Hermione argued, even if it weighed a ton when it held even the slightest amount of water.

"Honestly Hermione, we could go on for hours. We know you have a fair sum of money hidden away in that vault of yours from being one of the smartest witches to grace our world, and yet you never take any of it out to buy anything nice for yourself." Elma quipped.

"Now how would you know if I did that or not?" Three against one really wasn't fair. While normally Hermione could easily handle herself in a verbal battle with an unfair advantage for her advisories, she was not prepared to be ambushed by a group of elderly ladies. Not today anyway.

"Please honey, if you ever pampered yourself, even in the slightest, we'd be able to tell." Viola spoke with utter arrogance, as if this was all too easy for her and she was hoping for a challenge.

"I'm changing now." Hermione turned around ignoring their protests to come back. She was quite done being the target of their judgemental remarks.

"Put on the grey one!" Estelle called as she closed her office door. If it wasn't obvious that this might be the only real source of entertainment for them today Hermione wouldn't have even considered doing as they requested. But mostly, if she hadn't seen the way they're faces lit up when they'd seen her in this dress she would have changed into her normal clothes immediately and continued on with her day. However she had, so she complied to their request, and put on the requested grey dress, that was very similar in style to the first one. As she predicted it would be.

"Now I know just how to fix that." Estelle said once Hermione walked back into the store front. Opening her large orange lizard scaled purse, she pulled out an ancient looking wand and pointed it in Hermione's direction. She'd barely had time to think before she felt the fabric around her altering itself.

The far to formal collar disappeared, along with the sleeves, leaving straps roughly one inch in diameter to hold up her dress. The neck line dipped slightly, and the dress shortened. The pattern on her grey dress simplified, but the way the dress gathered around the waist, then let the remaining fabric fall stayed the same. Leaving her with a simple, yet elegant knee length grey dress. And Hermione had to admit, she didn't dislike the new style. It was comfortable, not ostentatious, but still not the conservative measures she was used to and comfortable with.

It appeared that all the commotion had been enough to awaken Capella from her tragically short nap just in time for her to become completely fascinated with what had just happened. She ran up to Hermione and began tugging on the shorter fabric as if wondering where the rest had gone. The ladies assessing her attire seemed rather pleased with Estelle's handy work as they muttered compliments towards one another.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Hermione asked, when the level of excitement in the room diminished slightly.

"Back in the day the three of us were seamstresses. We used to own a little boutique when we were fresh out of Hogwarts, younger than you even." Estelle put it simply.

"We called it EVE's Everyday Evenings." Elma contributed.

"Even taught Madam Malkins everything she knows." Viola revelled.

"I never knew you taught Madam Malkins." Hermione spoke, astonishment laced her tone.

"We did." Elma answered. "However, she's always had more of a simple take on the art of being a seamstress."

"Our shop really was one of a kind. Equipped for every sort of outing, both Wizard and Muggle." Viola sounded sorrowful as if it was painful to reminisce about their 'glory' days.

"Where is it now? Did you sell it?" Hermione inquired, ever the curious witch she is.

"It was passed down to Estelle's granddaughter. If Elma or I had had any girls at all it would have been a joint company, but Louise, Estelle's granddaughter, has three little friends that help her run the business. And we stop in from time to time, making sure all is well." Viola said.

Before they could continue their conversation they were interrupted. It seemed Capella was no longer overwhelmed by the events that took place just minutes ago, and now she wanted a go at their sorcery abilities. "Me next!" She cried, still tugging on the bottom of Hermione's dress.

The elderly ladies simply chuckled as they turned their attention to Capella's attire. There wasn't a lot you could fix with Capella's dress, as it appeared to be remarkably new, and up to date with the current fashion for young children. However, having slept in it the night before allowed for some adjustments. They removed the wrinkles caused by a nights sleep, put ribbons in her blonde hair and around her tiny waist, and altered her little white sandals so that the petals on the flower moved every so often. When they finished Capella was over the moon. Hermione was sure that the moving flowers on her shoes would keep her occupied for days. Maybe that would make up for the peace and quiet Hermione surly would miss out on now that Capella seemed fully awake.

The sound of a bell took her attention from the look of pure wonder on Capella's face to the front door. There Malfoy stood, looking less happy to be there than she was to see him.

"Ready Granger?" He demanded.

"Is this the friend?" Elma pondered aloud from behind her. Probably aiming her question towards her two companions, however Hermione had overheard.

"I didn't say friend." She corrected. Only when hell froze over would she describe Malfoy as a friend of hers.

"But he's the one who asked you to help look after Capella." Viola questioned. Though it wasn't so much a question of hers, as a fact she needed confirmation for.

She nodded in validation.

"He's cute." At Viola's comment Hermione laughed out loud.

"Snorting isn't lady like Granger." Malfoy chided. As if he had any right to lecturing her at all.

"You'd know all about being a lady wouldn't you Malfoy?" She snapped, rather pleased with her quick comeback. Regardless of her lack of maturity.

Instead of the snappy remark she'd been expecting from him all she got was the usual icy glare. She heard a gasp from behind her, presuming it was one of the ladies shocked at how not cute Malfoy could be. "We going or what Granger?" He asked; impatience palpable in his tone.

"Going where Malfoy?" To her disappointment Capella ran to Malfoy as though he was even more interesting than her magically charmed shoes. This girl obviously didn't inherit half the brains Hermione would never admit Malfoy had. When it came to potions that is. In all other matters he was as useless as a fork when it came to eating soup.

"You forgot didn't you Granger." He smirked. Forgot what? "I would think that with you being such a bookworm an all you'd be able to process and retain some of what you read, especially if it was only a short while ago."

_The letter._ Now she remembered. They were supposed to go out and get Capella all the necessities. She _had_ forgotten. But Malfoy didn't need to know that. "I didn't forget Malfoy." She must have gotten side tracked and lost track of time.

"Sure you didn't Granger. Where's your list then?" He challenged.

"My list?" She questioned. She remembered reading something about a list. But if she couldn't recall in in full detail, it obviously wasn't all that important.

"The list of what we'd need to get for her," He pointed at the small child looking up at him, her eyes full of wonder. "that I told you to make." He glared back at her.

"You can't just tell me to do something Malfoy. Contrary to your beliefs I'm an equal, not an inferior." Merlin she hated that pompous attitude of his.

"Stone the crows Granger, you had one job." He ran his hand shakily through his blonde hair in evident frustration.

"I'm plenty busy Malfoy. I'm not going to bend to your every will."

"Busy doing what? Playing dress up?" Everything around her suggested she'd been working all day. How could he have possibly come to that ridiculous conclusion? She completely ignored the bag of dresses that was sitting in front of the door to her back room, where she'd left it to change earlier. That was, there was nothing to give her away until Capella gleefully pointed to her shoes. Being sure to give him enough time to see the petals move. "Charming shoes, really Granger?" Capella's betrayal, however unintentional it may or may not be, was extremely uncalled for. She'd make sure the little girl paid for that act of duplicity someday. Perhaps she'd be sure to leave the little girl alone with Malfoy for an extended period of time, just long enough for her to realise he could do absolutely nothing for her except engage in a silly game. And not even very well at that. However as quickly as that idea came to mind, it faded. Capella had already developed too much of a liking towards Malfoy for that plan to be of any success.

"We needed something to distract her with. And it was working just fine before you barged in." Hermione spoke with purpose, as if to prove the inconvenience Malfoy's presence had put on her.

"I'm growing old Granger." He impatiently stated.

"Good, maybe now your hair will finally get some colour." The look on Malfoy's face was definitely worth the headache he was giving her. The idea that someone would insult his precious hair was obviously a foreign topic to him. And he was definitely not impressed. Before he could continue their squabble Hermione went and grabbed her shoes from the back room.

"We'll lock up for you dearie." The called as she re-entered the shop portion of her store.

"Thank you." She smiled in their direction.

"Finally." Malfoy huffed.

Hermione smiled as she pushed passed him, aiming her elbow into the underside of his ribs, muttering an inaudible 'Whatever'.

"Oi Granger, watch those bloody elbows of yours." He snarled in her ear, pulling Capella along by the hand.

"My apologies." The small smirk visible on her lips hidden from his view by her unusually bushy hair.

* * *

A/N: As you guys can probably tell, or should be able to tell soon, Capella is going to be _quite _the handful. Maybe so much so that even Draco and Hermione can't handle her. And they're two of the best wizards in their era! I'd love to hear from you guys what kind of trouble you think she's going to end up getting in! Maybe you'll even give me some ideas, or predict something I hadn't even thought of!

I know it's a long chapter, and not a lot gets accomplished, but I can't just jump into stories like that. I need foundation, and it's really a pet peeve of mine when authors just jump into stories like, third chapter and they're already dating, one date they're in love, five chapters their married, and with no foundation at all that's your story. There's no context or anything. And I usually can't get past the first chapter for stories like those. So please just bear with me a moment. And the reason this chapter is a little longer than the rest is because A) You guys have waited so long for one and I'm really sorry about that, and B) I really wanted chapter 6 to be the chapter where they hit the town in search of all the things you would need for a young child.

I'd really love it if you guys would review or PM me your thoughts. Tell me what you think so far, or what you think is going to happen! Anyone think shopping for a child is going to be uncomfortable for Draco? Especially with Hermione?

So, thanks for reading, love you all lots. I'll try to update ASAP, but because of this update I'm not studying for my bio, french or my chem tests tomorrow, so it's all your fault if I get no sleep tonight ;)

I hope you appreciate this chapter, and you'll hear from me soon!

P.S. I'm super excited to write the next few chapters. Because I've finally added a foundation and now we can build upwards! Don't forget to review please! You know how much I love reviews, it really makes my day. And if I get some soon I'll try to update within a week ;) Even with my exams coming up in like 3 weeks.

-Don't forget to review! Xoxox Dini


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